Dese stepped out into the corridor and sighed inwardly, not wanting to show her disappointment. She had hoped she would meet with Captain Murphy, not just be asked to babysit her kids. She paused for a moment as she realized if she did well looking after the kids, then it would more than likely put her in Captain Murphy’s good books. Taking a breath she glanced back at the children in tow as she set off towards the guest quarters, “So, excited to move to the Sentinel?”

Mindy didn’t look up from her PADD, earbuds blasting music loud enough that Dese could faintly hear the beat. Xander wandered along, his attention flitting to the ceiling panels and passing crew members, seemingly lost in his own world.

Only Elizabeth responded with a halfhearted shrug. “I guess… not really. It’s just like the last ship. Not worth packing and moving.”

Dese’s feet faltered for a moment, and she stumbled slightly. “Umm, well….” she stammered before continuing. “Well, I would think that each ship has its own unique features. New people, also you can meet right?”

The girl huffed. “There’s never any kids on these ships, and I hate doing classes on the computer,” Elizabeth replied.

“Ah, I understand that,” Dese said understanding the girl’s frustration. She would not have liked to have had not friends around at her age. “Though,” she began, “You will be able to see things most kids never get to. That has to be pretty exciting. New planets, new people…”

Dese continued leading the kids through the corridor, rattling off facts about the Pathfinder, focusing mainly on the differences and lessons learned from the Intrepid-class vessels for which it was based. She was so lost in thought as she talked that she hadn’t turned to look at the kids since she first asked them about the move. As she stepped up to the turbolift, she turned around and was about to ask them if they had any questions. She froze and looked at the empty hallway behind her.

Well, emptier than expected. Mindy was still there, face buried in the glowing screen of her PADD, oblivious to the world. But Elizabeth and Xander were gone. The thumping bass from Mindy’s earbuds pounded in time with the sudden quickening of Dese’s heartbeat.

She started for a moment and cursed inwardly, ‘Shit, shit, shit. I am going to be in so much trouble.’ She looked to her right and left down the corridor, hoping to catch a glimpse of Elizabeth and Xander, but they were empty. Her hand started to go to her combadge to call it in when she stopped, ‘I can fix this.’

She stepped up to Mindy and waved her hand in front of her face, “Mindy, where are your brother and sister?”

Mindy sighed, rolled her eyes, and pulled out an earbud. The music’s bass thudded louder. “What?”

Dese glared at her for a moment and gestured around, “Where are your brother and sister?!”

With an exaggerated sigh, Mindy mirrored Dese’s scan of the hallway without a hint of concern. She shrugged. “I dunno. Engineering?”

“Shit,” Dese muttered under her breath. “Do they like Engineering? Or is that just a guess?”

She shrugged and inserted the earbud back into her ear. “A guess. Xander is obsessed with starships. Beth is likely chasing after him.”

“Computer,” Dese said. “What is the current location of Elizabeth and Xander Chantry?”

‘Unknown’ came the expected response.

“Right, no combadges…”

She took a deep breath as she debated calling the bridge but stopped herself as an idea came to her. “Let’s go check engineering.”

The doors slid open to a very quiet Engineering bay. As Dese stepped in she could only see two other officers who were at workstations near the core. “Right, good and bad, most people are on the station…”

She made her way in as Mindy followed. After a couple of moments, she made it to the main control console and pulled up the internal scans.

“Ensign Tycon. Is there something I can help you with?” came a voice from behind her.

Dese turned around slowly, looking a little sheepish. “Ah, Lieutenant Sanin. I was, um, I meant, I thought I would show Mindy, Captain Murphy’s daughter the layout of the ship. How it differs from an Intrepid.”

Anahis tilted her head slightly, questioningly, as she glanced past Dese, “And running an internal scan helps with that how?”

Dese exhaled and glanced back at Mindy, feeling deflated, “I was asked to show Captain Murphy’s kids to their quarter, but the youngest two ran off. I thought if I ran a quick scan I could find them without it becoming a bigger issue.”

Anahis looked at her expressionlessly for a moment before she leaned forward and activated the scan. “Looks like they are on Deck 7 near the Wavecrest’s berth. If you quick, you may catch them before they move elsewhere.”

Dese just started at the assistant chief engineer for a moment, “Thank you.”

Anahis shrugged, “Babysitting duty is tough.”

Elizabeth’s sneakers pounded the deck, matching the beating of her heart. Sweat glistened on her forehead as she raced down the corridor, dodging a scowling Xindi Reptilian in a gold uniform. The strange antennae on top of his head were splayed out. Was he angry? she wondered.

“Sorry!” she shouted over her shoulder, never breaking her stride. Before the Xindi could respond, she vanished around a bend.

Ahead, she glimpsed the fleeting color of gray from Xander’s sweatshirt as it disappeared into the bulkhead. An exasperated growl escaped her lips as she charged forward, brushing against an ensign in red. She looked up from her PADD, eyes wide. Seeing Elizabeth, the ensign shook her head, amusement tugging at her lips.

“Watch where you’re going, dear,” the ensign said, returning to her PADD, which beeped as she entered commands.

“Sorry, ma’am,” Elizabeth said, jogging backward several steps before twisting to continue down the corridor, heading for the point where her brother had vanished.

Elizabeth paused at the entrance, her breaths coming in rapid gasps, her lungs burning. The door plaque read “Wavecrest”—whatever that was. Pressing her thumb to the activation switch, the door opened to reveal a narrow corridor ending in an airlock. The airlock’s doors were closing behind Xander’s tiny form.

“Xander!” she shouted. “Mom’s going to kill us!”

Several minutes later, Dese stepped off the turbo lift on deck 7 and looked down the corridor towards the airlock leading to the Wavecrest, the ship’s large, multi-role runabout. “Any idea why they came here, Mindy?”

Mindy rolled her eyes and shrugged. “No.”

Dese gritted her teeth and nodded slightly. “Ok. Well, let’s go find them.”

The two of them made their way to the airlock without another saying word. Frustrated by the whole situation Dese ran her hands through her hair before she stepped through the door. Before her was the small hanger in which the Waverider-class ship was anchored, its ventral surface exposed to space.

Having taken the ship out several times, she could see the kid’s attraction to it and knew just from looking around that things were amiss. The door to the runabout stood ajar. She walked towards the door and called out, “Elizabeth, Xander. I know you are in there. Please come out.”

Elizabeth emerged, frustration etched on her face, “He won’t listen.”

“What do you mean he won’t listen?” Dese said as she stepped past Elizabeth and onto the runabout. The interior was dark with only the lowest illumination settling on.

Elizabeth sighed in frustration clutching her fists at her side as Dese brushed past her.  It seemed like no one was listening to her today. Like she was just invisible.  Story of her life.

“Xander, if you wanted a tour of the ship, I can do that, but you don’t run off like this,” Dese said softly as she made her way towards the cockpit.

Xander sat at the dark helm, his knees tucked under him so he could reach the black console. His tiny fingers danced over the imaginary controls as he made beeping sounds, imitating the starship’s LCARS system. Occasionally, he would violently toss himself left or right, shouting explosion and phaser sound effects.

Dese stepped into the cockpit and visibly relaxed as she saw Xander in the chair. A part of her had expected to see that he had somehow activated the systems and was about to launch the vessel.

“Xander, if you want to pretend to fly the ship, I can take you to the holodeck,” Dese said as she moved up behind him.

“It’s not real,” Xander said flippantly as his little fingers scrambled over the panel in an imaginary emergency scenario playing out in his head.

Dese slid into the seat beside him and leaned back, “I know. I feel the same way about the holodeck and simulations, though it is as close to real as it can get.” She looked over at him, a thought forming in her head. ‘Maybe the Captains would let her take the Wavecrest out for a short flight with the kids.’

“How about this, I run some of my personal training simulations and teach you a bit myself. You can be dodging asteroids and Jem’Hadar, maybe even the Borg.”

“Okay,” Xander said sliding out of the chair,  his shoes making a soft tap on the deck.

“Great!” Dese said as she led him out of the runabout. Several minutes later, and a quick turbo lift ride she found herself and the three kids standing in front of the guest quarters.

“The captains will be finishing their meeting soon, I trust that you will wait here and not go exploring?”

“I hope they weren’t too much trouble,” Órlaith announced walking towards Dese and the kids, her XO striding next to her.

Dese jumped slightly at Órlaith’s words, “No Ma’am. Not at all. I was just offering to let Xander fly some training simulations with me while he is on board. If that is ok with you, that is.”

“We can discuss it,” Órlaith said to Dese. “Mindy, why did you let your brother run off?”

Her daughter rolled her eyes and Órlaith let it slide.  Pick your battles, she reminded herself.

“I’m not their mother.  It shouldn’t be my job.”

Fair.

“We are family and I need your help, that’s why.”

Mindy sighed.  “Fine.”

“Thank you Ms. Tycon,” Órlaith said warmly. “You went above and beyond today.”

“Not a problem Ma’am, happy to help,” Dese remarked. She took the statement as a dismissal and turned to leave the room.

Órlaith watched the woman walk away and then with a tired sigh she ushered the kids into their temporary quarters. “Kirin has a good crew,” she said to herself giving one last glance in Dese’s direction as the doors closed behind her.